Photo by Sue Suchyta. Meg Carscadden (left) watches as co-director Samantha York (second from left) rehearses a dance number for “Super Hero Olympics” with Brooke Preiss, Phoebe Morris, Ellie Morris and Blake Williams. The show runs 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 to 6 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Players Guild of Dearborn. For tickets and more information, call 313-561-TKTS or go to playersguildofdearborn.org.

By Sue Suchyta

Set during the summer of the 30th annual Super Olympic Games, “Super Hero Olympics,” the preteen summer show presented by the Guildlings, takes the stage by storm at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 to 6 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Players Guild of Dearborn, 21730 Madison.

Heroes, villains and apprentices have gathered in Gotham City to compete for championships and vie for the Hall of Fame, with well-known names like Superman, to the lesser-known characters like the Condiment Queen, entertaining with songs, dance and humorous scenes.

Co-directed by Brian Townsend and Samantha York, the show features the musical direction of Karen Danke, the choreography of Mary Murphy, and is co-produced by Tim Carney and Rebecca Hermen.

The heroes in the cast include Blake Williams as Superman, Ellie Morris as Miss Marvel, Lucee Wilson as Wonder Woman, Brooke Preiss as Bat Girl and Ava Assenmacher as She-Hulk.

The villains include Kurtis Wilson as the Joker, Justine Moore as Mrs. Freeze, Brady and Blake Deckert as the Double Dares, Lara Elhajj as Harley Quinn, Allison Koehler as Cat Woman and Claire Williams as Poison Ivy.

The apprentices include Calum Carscadden as Swift, Max Williams as Robin, Peyton Hudson-Dowd as the Evil Frowner, Matt Hermen as the Fantastic Flex, Maggie Kanclerz as Lady Umbrella and Andrew Pierzynowski as Captain Outburst.

York said the children in the cast have wonderful imaginations, which adds to the creativity of the show.

“You would be surprised how many good ideas the kids have come to us with, and they are included in the show now because they are that great,” she said. “I just love the way they think and process things.”

She said the show is about teamwork and perseverance.

“Winning is not always the right thing that is supposed to happen,” she said. “Losing for certain people needs to happen as well. You need a team, you need a support system. You need a family to help guide you down the right path.”

She said their teamwork during rehearsal will show onstage in the finished production.
The show has songs from Broadway shows and pop culture, including “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked” and “Eye of the Tiger” from “Rocky III,” providing a medley that ties the story together.

York said the show is funny, with tricks and slapstick.

Rebecca Hermen said the challenge of producing youth theater is like herding cats – it is hard to keep the cast all together during the rehearsal process, but they are very enthusiastic.

“They couldn’t be more happy to be doing this,” Hermen said. “They grew up dressing up on Halloween as Batman, and Spiderman and the Joker, and so they are getting to play a lot of these iconic super heroes that they’ve wanted to be.”

Hermen said it is fun to see the characters come to life on stage, and audiences will laugh a lot.

“There are some great lines and a lot of fun bits,” she said.

Kurtis Wilson said audiences will laugh a lot.

“Superman will probably be the funniest,” he said. “He is so full of himself.”

Ellie Morris said the show is very creative, with characters audiences have never encountered before.

“Putting them together, they’re supposed to play fair, but really not, in this Olympics-like game,” she said. “People enjoy seeing their favorite superheroes and villains from different comics interact with each other.”

Blake Williams said the show is hilarious with a lot of really funny moments.

“It’s just a good laugh and it’s just going to make you happy and smile,” he said.

Tickets are $8. To order, or for more information, call 313-561-TKTS or go to playersguildofdearborn.org.

GUILD ANNOUNCES ‘TWO BY TWO’ CAST

The Players Guild of Dearborn is building an ark, and loading it with a strong cast. Onboard are Mike Moseley of Allen Park as Noah, with Lincoln Park residents Sue DeLosier as Esther and Leah Paige Cooley as Goldie.

Dearborn residents in the cast include Brian Townsend as Shem and Julie Brown as Leah, with Tom Varitek of Dexter as Ham, Mark Wagner of Plymouth as Japheth and Kathleen Duffy of Royal Oak as Rachel.